Programmers Manuals

Appendix I: Barcodes
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What is a UPC barcode? Continued
Smaller labels allow for very small space to print long
Barcodes as well as human readable text. Condensing
Barcodes leads an unfavorable inter-character spacing size
that scanners may have a difficulty reading.
─ There is a required “dead” space needed around the
Barcode itself to allow for scanners to establish the
beginning and end of a Barcode.
─ Measured in millimeters, Inter-character Spacing is
the spacing between the series of bars indicating a
character.
More About UPCs…
UPCs originate with a company called the
Uniform Code Council (UCC).
• A manufacturer applies to the UCC for
permission to enter the UPC system.
• The manufacturer pays an annual fee for the
privilege.
• In return, the UCC issues the manufacturer a
six-digit manufacturer identification number
and provides guidelines on how to use it.
Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is an identifier for trade items developed by GS1
(comprising the former EAN International and Uniform Code Council).
GTIN is an
"umbrella" term used to describe the entire family of GS1 data structures for trade
items (products and services) identification.
─ Such identifiers are used to look up product information in a database.
─ These unique barcode identifiers are often “bought”, and may “belong” to a
retailer, manufacturer, collector, researcher, or other entity.
─ The uniqueness and universality of the identifier is useful in establishing which
product in one database corresponds to which product in another database,
especially across organizational boundaries.